Series: N/A
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 26th 2010
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):
“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”
So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?
Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.
I have to confess that I find it very hard to review this book. I am a bit confused by the book. On one hand I liked it enough to finish reading it, on the other hand I was left a little disappointed.
What I liked most was the idea of a book of dares. It's actually the reason I requested this book from NetGalley. I saw the title, read the blurb and realized I've never read a book like this before. And I did enjoy that part of the book. Going places, doing things (completely innocent things, by the way) just to get one step closer to the finish line. It was a very interesting adventure.
Another thing I liked was the fact that Dash and Lily have very different views on Christmas, life, love. I don't think that they had a lot of things in common. And that's the thing that I liked about them. They're opposites, but they sort of click sometimes.
What disappointed me was the fact that I didn't believe Dash and Lily were teenagers. I think it's safe for me to say that teenagers don't speak in such big words. I actually found myself looking in the dictionary a few times. And, in some ways, I felt that it was pulling me out of the book. As much as I found the characters cute and interesting, the fact that I didn't believe in their age was the thing that kept me from enjoying this book completely. I actually thought that maybe they're in their early twenties or they're just about to finish college or something.
Overall:
I really wanted to completely like this book. But the big words and the somewhat philosophical way most teenagers talked in this book kept me from it. However, if that doesn't bother you, then you will find this book very enjoyable.
